TLDR;
The hosts of Media Delta review "Digimon: The Movie," a compilation of three shorter Japanese Digimon films edited and dubbed for Western audiences by 4Kids. They discuss their initial impressions, the movie's odd licensed soundtrack, the varying quality and coherence of the three segments, and the impact of 4Kids' dubbing choices. The panel also touches on the movie's place in the broader Digimon franchise and its influence on other works like "Summer Wars." Ultimately, they rate the movie an 8 out of 21, praising its music and charm but noting its flaws.
- "Digimon: The Movie" is a compilation of three separate Japanese films.
- The 4Kids dub features a memorable, if odd, licensed soundtrack.
- The third segment, "Digimon Adventure 02: Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Transcendent Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals," suffers from heavy editing and a disjointed plot.
- The movie is rated an 8 out of 21 for its music and charm, but is brought down by its flaws.
Intro [0:01]
The hosts introduce the topic of the episode: "Digimon: The Movie," which is actually a combination of three separate Digimon movies that were released in Japan. These movies were cut and compiled into one for a Western, primarily U.S., audience by 4Kids Entertainment. The original films were significantly cut down, especially the last one. The first film is "Digimon Adventure," the second is "Digimon Adventure: Our War Game!" and the third is "Digimon Adventure 02: Digimon Hurricane Touchdown!! / Transcendent Evolution!! The Golden Digimentals".
General Impressions [5:39]
Carnival saw the movie when it was originally released and found it held up well, particularly noting the soundtrack as a memorable, if strange, choice. Rizzon had never seen the movie before and enjoyed the first two segments but found the heavily edited third segment disjointed. He also noted the similarities between "Our War Game!" and the movie "Summer Wars." Torpo still enjoys the movie, finding it fun despite its flaws, especially the incomprehensible third part. He also mentions that the version they watched was a fan-made restoration that synced the Japanese Blu-ray with the English audio.
Digimon Stories [20:44]
The hosts discuss the three segments as separate movies. Carnival notes that the first two are straightforward, but the third is confusing due to heavy cuts. Even as a kid, he found the third part perplexing. Rizzon agrees that the first two flow well together, but the third is difficult to follow due to unfamiliar characters and disjointed fight scenes. Carnival says that "Our War Game!" is the standout piece, while the first segment feels more like a promotional piece. He also says that the best parts of the Digimon anime were in the next season.
4Kids Dub [31:25]
The panel discusses the movie in the context of the 4Kids dub. Carnival believes it's one of the better 4Kids dubs, even preferring the Omnimon fight music in the dub. Rizzon praises Ty's mother's lines in the second segment as comedic gold. Torpo says that the dub is surprisingly coherent for a 4Kids production, despite some name changes and attempts to string the segments together. The hosts agree that the 4Kids dub makes the movie more enjoyable due to its weirdness and charm.
Plot Details and Ranking [36:47]
Carnival shares plot details from Wikipedia about the third movie, noting that much of the context was lost in the editing. The original plot involved T.K. and Kari visiting Mimi in New York, but Wendigomon captures the older kids. The hosts then rank the movie on a scale of 1 to 21. Carnival suggests a range of 5 to 8, Rizzon suggests 8 or 9, and Torpo suggests 8. They ultimately settle on a ranking of 8, placing it on par with Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles season one. They attribute the movie's strengths to its music and charm, while acknowledging its weak action and heavy editing.